Unexpected
by vintageambition
Summary: A compilations of moments during Maya's pregnancy.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: NEW STORY! This is my first ever pregnancy story but I was suddenly hit with a wave of inspo for a Lucaya pregnancy story. It was originally supposed to be a one-shot but it turned out just way too long, so I broke it into pieces.**

 **Just an FYI there are little dotted lines separating portions of text within the chapters. That indicates a time break/time jump. This story is meant to be a short compilation of moments during Maya's pregnancy…**

 **I don't own GMW, just the plot of this story.**

Chapter 1: "Pregnant"

….

Maya sat on the closed toilet seat in the bathroom of her Lucas's apartment. Lucas had already left for work a couple hours. Maya stared down at the stick that sat on the counter in front of her. She pulled nervously on the sleeves of her sweatshirt, the sweatshirt that was actually Lucas's. She didn't know what to expect. For a couple weeks now, she was wracked with morning sickness and she felt like she was always tired. She managed to hide the vomiting from Lucas, but he noticed her tiredness. She blamed it on all the work she was doing at the art gallery lately, but she knew it was more when she didn't start her period like she should have about 5 days ago.

Finally the timer on her phone went off, alerting that it was time to check the test results. Maya didn't move. She froze there in her position. Her arm eventually reached up and tilted the stick up towards her so she could read the tiny screen on it. There it was. There was the word she was terrified to see. "Pregnant." Her whole body went numb. She didn't know what to think or how to feel.

She didn't know how it happened, but her legs somehow moved her from her spot and carried her to her and her boyfriend's bedroom. She picked her phone up from the nightstand and called the only person she wanted to talk to right now.

"Peaches?" Riley answered. Maya's voice was small and low as she asked Riley to come over. She expected to hear some protest since she knew Riley was at work. Instead, Riley said she would be right over, probably hearing the worry and dismay in Maya's voice. With her phone hung up, Maya curled up into ball on her bed. She was terrified of how Lucas would react. They were so young. What if he didn't think he was ready for kids? What if he didn't think they were ready for kids?

It wasn't even 30 minutes later when Riley huffed all the way up the stairs of Maya and Lucas's building. Instead of taking the much cheaper subway, like she normally would have, she grabbed a cab. It was much quicker. She had just missed the elevator coming into the lobby and full on sprinted up the stairs and down the hall to the door of her best friends' apartment. Inside, Maya stayed in bed, curled into the same ball she had rolled herself into earlier. She knew Riley had a key and could let herself in. honestly, she felt nauseous, and this time she was almost positive it wasn't the pregnancy. She heard keys jangle and then quick shouts from Riley's voice looking for her in the silent apartment.

"Bedroom!" Maya managed to shout. The clearly worried brunette came hurriedly into the bedroom and sat on the bed with the somber blonde.

"Maya what's wrong? You sounded terrified on the phone," Riley asked. Maya didn't answer. She felt as though if she spoke, she would just end up bursting into tears. If she was finding this hard to tell Riley, then how was she going to be able to tell Lucas, the actual other person who was going to be affected by all of this? It wasn't supposed to be like this. She and Lucas had been together for a while, years actually, but they were still so young. And they weren't even married yet! They made good money for people their age, but what did they know about financially supporting a child? Riley's hand shook Maya until her blue eyes looked up. Riley's face was riddled with worry.

"Go look on the bathroom counter," she mumbled under her breath. Riley looked confused, but did as she was told. She disappeared around the corner and into the bathroom. Maya managed to sit up, brushing the loose hair out of her face. Soon she saw Riley come slowly out of the bathroom, holding the test Maya had taken less than an hour earlier. Her eyes were wide as saucers, looking like they were about to pop out of her head.

"Maya what is this?" Dumbfounded Riley held the stick out to Maya. Maya cocked her head, knowing Riley knew exactly what that was. Laying the stick down on the nightstand, Riley reclaimed her seat on the bed next to Maya.

"I don't know what to do Riles," Maya's small voice admitted. She sniffled, pulling back tears from escaping out of her eyes. She could tell from the silence that Riley didn't know what to say. Riley's hand came up and was placed in Maya's. The small blonde clutched it tight, needing the comfort. "I don't even know how I feel right now."

"Maya you have to feel at least a little excited. You're having a baby!" Riley tried to be joyful; she was joyful. But she was also scared for her best friend. She hardly ever talked about kids and, to be honest, Riley didn't even know if Maya wanted kids or not.

"I don't think I'm ready for a baby! And what about Lucas?"

"What about Lucas? He'll be excited too." Riley knew Lucas wanted kids. He had told her that once, a long time ago when they were still in high school.

"Yeah I'm sure he'll be stoked that his 23 year old not-wife is pregnant," Maya mocked.

"Maya! This isn't the 50s. It's not a horrible thing to have a baby when you're not married yet," Riley didn't actually believe that. Not entirely. But Maya wasn't a horrible person for getting pregnant. Sure, it wasn't the plan but she knew her and Lucas would eventually get to that point, married or not.

After 2 hours, Riley was still not able to comfort Maya as much as she wanted to. She had to go back to work, though. Maya hadn't yet gotten out of bed and was now under the covers, playing with the tasseled end of the burgundy blanket that laid over her.

"Do me favor," Maya said tired, leaning up to hand Riley the pregnancy that still rested on the nightstand. "Wrap this up in toilet paper or paper towels or whatever and throw it away in the trashcan in the lobby. The last thing I need is Lucas finding that." Her fingers ran through the length of her hair, covering her face.

"You have to tell Lucas," Riley insisted.

"And I will Riley! I just- I just have to figure out the right way," Maya promised, before slumping back down onto her back on the bed.

"Maybe try just saying the words?" Riley acted as if this was the most causal thing in the world. Maya didn't feel it was that easy.

"Ok and if this was you, you would be fine just going home and telling Farkle that his girlfriend was pregnant?" Riley stood in silence, not knowing how to answer.

"All I'm saying is Lucas loves you. He'll be happy about this," Riley whispered before leaving Maya alone in the apartment.

….

2 weeks had gone by and Maya still hadn't told Lucas about her pregnancy. Some days she would purposely work late, doing work at the gallery that she knew she could just do at home, simply to avoid coming home until she was sure Lucas would be asleep. She couldn't decide on the right words. Every time she thought she had figured it out, she would have this vision of telling him and him walking out or yelling at her for being irresponsible or refusing to be a part of the baby's life. She knew these were ridiculous fantasies, but this was a scary situation. She couldn't shake the fear.

It was a Thursday night and Maya had worked a long day at the gallery setting up for an art show they were hosting the following night. Her back was killing her and she was sure it was from the baby. She hadn't completely wrapped her head around the fact that there was a baby inside of her. Her feet ached as she walked out of the elevator and down the hall. She wanted nothing more than to take a hot bath and then lay in bed. When she walked through the threshold of her apartment, she spotted her boyfriend rummaging in the kitchen. She wouldn't have stopped but she noticed the bouquet of roses on the dining table. Next to those, were two plates and a lit candle in the middle of the table. Lucas hadn't noticed Maya was there until she shut the front door. He looked up from his spot in front of the fridge and smiled.

"What's all this?" Maya asked, walking over to the table to smell the roses that were laid on top.

"We haven't really had a romantic night in a while. So I thought we could tonight," he said, walking up to her and kissing her forehead. Maya looked over to the kitchen with a worried look.

"You cooked?" Lucas knew what she meant with her worried tone. He laughed remembering when he tried to surprise Maya by cooking some of her favorite foods for her birthday last year. Let's just say, it's a good thing the fire extinguisher was so close. Lucas was good at a lot of things, cooking wasn't really one of them.

"God no!" he said shaking his head. He walked back to the kitchen and came back to the table with containers full of food he got from one of the couple's favorite Italian restaurants not far from the apartment. "But I got your favorites. Plus dessert." Maya smiled, seating herself in one of the chairs. Her feet kicked off each of her shoes. A sigh of relief came over her as her swollen feet got to relax.

"What did you get me?" Maya asked, happily able to spend the night being romanced by her boyfriend, especially if it meant she got Italian food.

"You're fettuccini alfredo!" Cheers escaped Maya's mouth. "With shrimp," Lucas added. The smile was removed from Maya's face. She didn't know what she could and couldn't have with the baby, but she felt like she couldn't eat the shrimp. It was something she had remembered out of a movie about seafood and pregnancy not being a very good mix. Just to be safe, she made up a quick excuse in her head.

"I can't have shrimp!" she blurted before Lucas could scoop a helping onto her plate. Lucas, confused, asked why. "I have just been feeling a little weird lately. I think it's a bug going around. I just don't want to rock the boat by eating seafood," she explained. She silently patted herself on the back for being able to come up with such a believable lie on the spot like that.

"Ok? Well do you want a meatball?" Maya gladly nodded at that. She picked at her meatball but looked up as Lucas was about to pour wine into her glass.

"No!" The pregnant blonde knew she couldn't drink wine. She pushed the wine bottle away from her glass before so much as a drop could fall into it. Lucas looked stunned to say the least. "Sorry. I-I just don't feel like having wine," she stuttered. Not telling Lucas was getting hard. She didn't know if she could get through the whole dinner not telling him. But lying her way through the dinner didn't seem like an option either. She opened her mouth to reveal the truth, but nothing came out.

Instead, Maya rose from the table. She excused herself, saying she was tired from work and wanted to go to bed. She hated lying to him. A fight quickly broke out between the two of them. Lucas knew Maya was hiding something, but Maya wouldn't budge. Lucas was yelling, rambling to Maya about being honest with each other. About how she was being distant lately. About needing to know if this relationship was still what she wanted. Hearing him say these types of things was the trigger she needed. Cutting off Lucas's sentence, Maya suddenly shouted.

"I'm pregnant!" Lucas's mouth hung open and his eyes couldn't find their way off of Maya. "I've been distant because I didn't know how to tell you. The seafood, the wine, everything it's because I'm pregnant," Maya cried. Lucas still didn't speak. Maya didn't have any more words.

"Are you sure?" Lucas suddenly asked. Maya could just nod. Neither of them knew what to do next. Lucas didn't even know what he was doing when his feet carried him out of the apartment, leaving Maya alone. Tears fell from her sad eyes to the floor. Every one of her horrible visions about this moment going south came true.

….

Hours later, Maya had all but cried herself to sleep. She felt Lucas's weight weigh down the bed. She opened her eyes, but didn't turn around to face him. He pressed a kiss the back of her hair, stroking it. A rogue sniffle made its way out of her. She heard an "I'm sorry" be whispered into her ear. It wasn't until now that she rolled onto her back and looked at her boyfriend. "I was just caught off guard" came out of his mouth, along with "I just needed to think." Silence remained in the room. He admitted he shouldn't have left. He admitted he loved Maya more than anything.

"I don't know if I want it," Maya revealed, finally putting her voice into the conversation. She didn't think she was strong or good enough to have this baby and raise it. Whether or not Lucas was there with her, she didn't know if she could do it. Lucas didn't even need to speak for Maya to be able to know he was confused; maybe even a little bit hurt. "Do you know who had a baby before they were married? My parents. And look at how that turned out…"

"Maya we are not your parents." Maya admitted she truly hadn't decided. Lucas didn't know what to do but hold his girlfriend. He had an opinion of course. He wanted to keep that baby more than anything. He wanted to be a father to the same beautiful baby that Maya would be a mother to. But this was her decision. Lucas wouldn't pressure her or try to sway her in either direction. Her body curled in deeper into the crevasse in his chest.

….

Maya called out for Lucas as she walked through the doorway of their apartment. A whole week after telling Lucas about the pregnancy and she still hadn't made up her mind on what to do.

Lucas was nowhere in sight. Maya sighed and made her way to the bedroom, ready to lay down and rest her aching muscles. After turning on the light, she quickly noticed the tiny box that rested on her pillow. She picked it up and held it in her hands, not even wanting to open it. Lucas made himself know, coming around the corner. Just before his girlfriend could protest or question his motives, he cut her off. Now he held the box in his hands, twirling it around nervously like he had done after buying it at the store.

"Before you say anything, just hear me out. I'm not doing this just because you're pregnant. I bought this ring for you. I bought it weeks ago actually. And I've been trying like crazy to figure out the right time to ask you… but maybe right now is the best time," he said. Tears fell out of Maya's eyes, but she didn't seem to notice. Those blue eyes of hers stayed on Lucas as he lowered himself onto one knee in front of her. "I know you're scared. And I'm scared too. But I know we can do this. I know that I could do anything as long as I have you with me. And whatever you decide to do, I'll support you. But baby or no baby, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you please marry me?"

Maya couldn't say yes fast enough. At first, Lucas was still and she didn't even know if he had heard her. But then a sweet, almost disbelieving smile crept onto his face. That pretty little ring wasn't much, but it fit Maya's finger perfectly. The happy bride-to-be was lifted off her feet by her over-excited fiancé. He twirled her around, but was told by a giggling Maya to put her down before he hurt the baby. Never have the two engaged in such a meaningful and loving kiss. But they did in this moment. They were in their own world and neither had any desire to go back to the real world.

But they did return to the real world. They were forced to when Lucas looked down and ran his fingers along Maya's tummy. They were hit with the realization that there was a baby inside of her. A baby they had created; a baby they didn't know if they were keeping. Maya's eyes followed Lucas's fingers as they lightly traced lines on her stomach.

"We're not my parents right?" she asked in a tiny voice. She felt the comforting arms of her cowboy wrap around her.

"Not even close. And I am not your dad… I'm not going anywhere," he promised. He knew all the while that Maya was scared of seeing what happened to her when her dad left happen to her own child. But Lucas had no plans of leaving.

"Then neither is this baby," Maya stated, finally making up her mind. This was her little family. Hell it wasn't planned, and maybe the timing could have been better, but this was her perfect little family.

It only took Lucas a second to remember not to lift his pregnant fiancé off the ground again, but there was nothing to stop him from kissing her even more passionately than he could imagine. Maya watched in confusion as he once again lowered himself onto one knee. He pressed a tiny kiss to her stomach and leaned his forehead against it, finally letting out a couple happy tears of his own. A burst of love shot through Maya and she could believe how lucky she was.

Then she remembered she would now have to plan a wedding and prepare for a baby all at the same time. Let the adventure begin…

 **A/N: The first chapter was the longest lol Ok I feel I have to tell you, this isn't my normal drama filled, angsty story. This is actually pretty fluffy all the way through. Just so you guys know!**

 **Subscribe to the story! I'll update with chapter 2 in a couple days. And if you follow my other story "Sometimes Love Is Hard" just know that I just updated it right before getting this story up so go read that. If you haven't read that story yet go over to my profile and read the first one ("Sometimes Love Is Hard" is a sequel) and then read that one:) It would mean a lot. Also don't forget to review!**


	2. A Dress and An Ultrasound

**A/N: Glad you guys are enjoying so much! Here's chapter 2…**

 **I don't own GMW, just the plot of this story.**

Chapter 2: "A Dress and An Ultrasound"

….

Maya didn't really put much thought into her wedding dress. She knew she would be 8 months pregnant at the time of the wedding anyway. But Riley, her maid-of-honor, insisted on taking Maya dress shopping! Even after Maya explained to Riley that she wouldn't be able to get a fancy dress because it probably wouldn't fit her by the wedding, Riley said the experience would still be fun.

So here she was, sitting on a little couch in the middle of a bridal boutique that Riley had found in SoHo. Riley sat right next to the bride, with Topanga next to her, and Katy on the other side. Maya had spent the morning throwing up and wasn't sure if she was exactly in the mood to try on wedding dresses. But Riley had been so excited about today that Maya perked up for her.

Riley had expressed nothing but joy when she found out about both the wedding and the fact that Maya and Lucas had decided to keep the baby. She claimed her heart would be just broken if they had decided on giving the baby up. Riley went straight to work trying to plan wedding stuff, wanting to give Maya more time to focus on baby stuff. Topanga and Katy also took up some of the responsibility of wedding planning. Maya couldn't have been more appreciative of everyone's support.

"Are you sure you don't want more bridesmaids? I still can't believe I'm the only bridesmaid in the wedding," Riley questioning, doodling notes into her dubbed 'wedding folder.' Both Lucas and Maya had chosen to opt out of the big to-do that a wedding generally is. This was mostly in an effort to put as much time and money as possible into the baby.

"Yes Riles. Honestly the last thing I need right now is a bunch of girls bugging me day and night about whatever the hell it is bridesmaids complain about," Maya laughed. "All I need is you Honey."

"I think that's very smart Maya," Topanga threw in. Riley, too, accepted the answer. She wrapped her arms around her best friend, whose smile lit up the room.

Maya was so glad her favorite ladies could be here to join her. Topanga even thought it would be cute to bring one of those sympathy stomachs, the ones that wives strap onto their husbands to let them see what it's like to carry a giant belly with you all day. Maya laughed so hard when she saw it outside the bridal shop. But she was secretly really glad to have it. She was only a couple months pregnant so she wasn't showing yet. It was nice to be able to try on dresses with a belly that would look how hers would actually look on the day of the wedding.

Even with her own mom, Riley, and Topanga there with her, she still felt like someone was missing. She was sad Lucas's mom couldn't join them. Her soon to be mother-in-law and she had a very good relationship. But, sadly, after Lucas graduated from high school, his mom and dad moved back to Texas. They could only afford to fly back to New York a couple times over the next year: once for the wedding and hopefully a couple months after that to meet the baby. Maya did promise to send pictures of her in her dress, as long those pictures didn't get back to Lucas. It was a silly tradition, the whole not letting the groom see the bride in her wedding dress thing. But for some reason, Lucas seemed determined to follow it.

After what felt like hours to Maya, but was only around 15 minutes, of humoring Riley by looking at countless photos of possible bridesmaid dresses on her phone, the sales girl came out with a rack of dresses for Maya. Most of them were long and flowy, so her 8-month pregnant belly could fit into them.

"Do you want your belly baby girl?" Katy giggled, handing Maya the belly Topanga brought. Maya smiled, taking the belly from her mom's hands. Riley got to the rack before Maya did and held up her favorite one. "Oh that's a pretty one." Katy stood behind Riley and started admiring the dress she held up.

"Please try this one on first!" Riley pleaded.

Maya looked at the dress. Her fingertips ran over the delicate lace fabric and tiny crystals that sat on the neckline. It was a gorgeous dress, she had to admit. She tried it on, like Riley and her mom wanted. As she looked in the mirror at herself, the belly underneath the dress and all, it clicked in her head that this was real. It took her an honest minute before being able to come out and show Riley and the moms. But their jaws dropped at the sight of her.

"Is it weird I don't even want to try anything else on?" Maya asked, again looking at herself in the long white dress in the mirror.

"Lucas is going to love you in that dress!" Topanga gushed. The blonde bride smiled at the thought. Lucas at the end of the aisle, waiting for her, so they could truly start their forever together.

That was the dress. Maya knew it the second she put it on. Going into the store, Maya wasn't sure she would be able to find a dress that she felt beautiful in with a giant belly. But this dress, something about this dress, even with her belly, made her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. Lucas's mom happily agreed after she got the picture Maya sent to her. On the way to lunch after, Maya took Riley's hand and thanked her for convincing her that today would be fun and that dress shopping was a good idea.

….

"Maya Hart!"

Maya and Lucas looked up from the side of the waiting room to see the nurse in the doorway, calling them over. Maya was officially 4 months pregnant and that meant they would finally be able to find out if they were having a little boy or a little girl. Both had said they didn't care which one it was, as long as the baby was healthy. But Lucas was secretly crossing his fingers for a girl, so she could have her mommy's long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. And, of course, Maya wanted a little boy so he could be a little blonde cowboy, just like his daddy.

The couple rose from their seats and followed the nurse to an ultrasound room. She instructed Maya to get comfortable and that their normal doctor would be in soon. Maya's hand shook nervously as it held Lucas's hand. They had done ultrasounds before, even seen the shape of the baby before. Right now was different. They would actually know what their baby was in just a few minutes. Maya always cried at the ultrasounds. Her doctor told her it was the hormones from being pregnant. Even the very first ultrasound they did, when they couldn't even really see the baby since it was so tiny at the time, Maya cried her eyes out.

"You alright?" Lucas asked his nervous fiancé. She laughed, knowing it was crazy to be as nervous as she was. What was she even nervous about? She nodded and Lucas tickled the back of her hand by laying a small kiss on it.

"Hi guys. How are you today?" their doctor, Dr. Green, suddenly entered the room.

"Maya's a little nervous," Lucas admitted. Truthfully, he was a little nervous too. He was sure, like him, Maya didn't really know why she was nervous either. But if one thing is for sure, he was way more excited than scared.

Dr. Green began the ultrasound the normal way: checking Maya's vitals, putting the gel on her stomach, and telling her to relax. It took a minute but a familiar shape appeared on the screen. The baby was a little bigger now than it was the last time they had seen it. It seemed the baby was growing so quickly and Lucas couldn't help but think of what a rock star his (almost) wife was for giving this little baby space to grow. Not even to his surprise, Lucas looked down to see Maya already crying. The doctor's voice brought them out of their quiet moment, asking them if they were ready to know the gender. They both nodded, practically throwing their necks out from being so thrilled to finally know.

"Say hello to your baby girl," the doctor smiled. Neither Lucas nor Maya knew how to react. It was like they both froze with so much exhilaration. Lucas was over the moon. A little mini Maya running around. His eyes went back and forth from the screen to a crying Maya. These were his girls.

The doctor mentioned it was about at this time in the appointment that parents generally appreciate being alone for a minute. She made her way out, leaving the two expecting parents in the room, staring at the baby shaped form on the screen.

"That's our baby. That's our daughter," Lucas whispered, suddenly being hit with the realization that he was going to be a father to that little girl. He took a guess that the look on his face had changed from one of happiness to one closer to fear, when Maya turned and asked him what was wrong. He tried his best to brush it off, not wanting to worry her. The doctor made a point every appointment to make sure Maya knew to rest as much as possible and stay relaxed. But Maya knew him better than he gave her credit for. "That's our daughter," Lucas repeated.

"I thought we were pretty clear on that by now," Maya teased.

"What if I'm not a good dad? What if I let her down? What if I let you down?" Lucas rambled. Maya's eyes widened, thinking about whether or not Lucas had had these thoughts on his mind during the past 4 months she's been pregnant. "I didn't exactly have the best teacher when it came to how to be a dad." Maya liked Lucas's father, but she knew their relationship wasn't the best. They rarely talked and they fought all the time when Lucas was younger. His dad put a lot of guilt and blame on him after Lucas and his family were forced to move to New York after Lucas got kicked out of school. They had a very scarred relationship and Maya knew that Lucas feared not being able to have a good relationship with his own child because of the poor example his father set.

"You know what you told me once?" Maya asked. "You told me that we aren't my parents. And we aren't your parents either Lucas." Maya's hand reached up and started lightly tousling her fingers through Lucas's hair. He smiled at both her touch and her words.

"What if I don't know how to be a dad?"

"What if I don't know how to be a mom?" Maya asked right back. They shared the same fears. Neither of them was the only scared one in this relationship. Both had their own separate issues with their parents that affected how they felt about their own ability to parent. But they weren't alone, they had each other.

"No. I know you're going to be a good mom," Lucas put plainly as if it were the truest statement in the world. Maya, not quite convinced, questioned how he knew that. "Because you're the best person I know in the whole world. So you will definitely be a good mom."

"I don't think we're automatically like our parents. And I think you are going to be great dad," Maya soothed, her fingers still in Lucas's blonde hair. "Because you are the best person that I know," Maya copied his words, knowing they were just as true coming out of her mouth as it was coming out of his. "So that little girl is going to have the best daddy in the world." Lucas's grin stayed on his face even after the doctor came back into the room. The couple kept their eyes on each other over the sound of the doctor asking if everything was good. Maya's eyes locked on her fiancé's. "Are we good?"

The cowboy's only answer was a nod and a kiss pressed to Maya's forehead. They were good. Lucas was never ceased to be amazed at how easy it always seemed for Maya to calm him down or comfort him when he needed it. Even when his anger threatened to get the better of him, she eased it. She just had that effect on him. She always had. He hoped their little girl would get that from her mom, too.

Hand in hand, the couple made their way through the New York streets after their appointment. Maya insisted on getting Mexican food afterwards. Lucas chuckled when she answered with Mexican food after he asked her what she wanted to eat. He always thought pregnant women were supposed to get these weird cravings like wanting to dip pickles in peanut butter, which Maya did do during her pregnancy and Lucas always felt like gagging whenever he saw her eating it. But for the most part, she wanted Mexican food. Barely a day went by without Maya mentioning she wanted a taco or an enchilada or a chimichanga. But Lucas almost always got her exactly what she wanted, even though it meant he would probably be getting the same thing since he didn't feel like going to two different places for food. If it wasn't him, it was Riley or Zay or Katy to bring Maya food. Those were the days when he was happy he got to eat something other than Mexican food for dinner.

Just a couple blocks away from Maya's favorite taco place, the two of them walked past a small baby shop. The window had a little basinet sitting in it with other small baby items. Maya stopped dead in her tracks as a particular item in the window caught her eye. It was a little pink stuffed elephant with a pink and white striped fabric around its feet and trunk. Lucas caught Maya staring and followed her eyesight to the elephant.

Since they hadn't known the sex of the baby until just 20 minutes ago, the nursery back at their apartment was pretty bare. Inside it sat a dark wood crib, which was Lucas's old crib that his mom sent them after finding out Maya was pregnant. Then there was a white dresser on the side and a large book shelf. They had added a couple small items here and there but, to Maya, this small stuffed elephant could be the first item they bought for their 'daughter' and not just for their 'baby.'

"You want it for the baby?" Lucas asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind. A smile from ear to ear appeared on Maya's face as she nodded with joy. So they bought it. Maya held it all the way to lunch, let it sit in her lap as they ate, and then, with a smile on her face and her fiancé's hand in hers, she placed it inside the crib when they got home.

 **A/N: I'm so glad you guys like the story so much already! I actually wrote this story really quick I was so randomly inspired lol I guess that's what happens when you get bored at work and your mind wander;)**

 **Also just wanted to let you guys know that this story is super short! It only has 5 chapters… But when this story is done I'll post the one-shot I wrote. And "Sometimes Love Is Hard" still has a lot more chapters to post. I've been writing a lot lately lol**

 **Thanks so much for reading guys! The more reviews I get the quicker I'll get the next chapter up!**


	3. I Do

**A/N: In which Lucas and Maya talk about baby names and Maya walks down the aisle wearing a pretty white dress and a baby bump…**

 **I don't own GMW, just the plot of this story.**

Chapter 3: "I Do"

….

"What about Natalie?" Lucas suggested. He and Maya were coming back from a late breakfast they had after their birthing class. Being nearly 7 months pregnant, Maya was due to have the baby in just 2 short months and the two still hadn't decided on a name. They had been going back and forth for weeks now with names, but if one of them liked a name, the other hated it. The same proved true for the name 'Natalie' as after the name left Lucas's lips, Maya's face twisted in disgust.

"Jennifer?" Maya suggested back. Lucas shook his head quickly.

"Too common. Pricilla?" Maya practically spit her smoothie out of her mouth she laughed so hard. "What?"

"That is way too Southern! This baby is not having one of those cliché southern names Huckleberry! Ok no Pricilla, no Dixie, no Luann, none of that!" Lucas sometimes offered up a super Southern name just to tease Maya. He actually did like Pricilla but it was always fun to see Maya get riled up about the overly Southern suggestions.

Lucas was continuously checking his phone, not that Maya noticed. She was busy being kicked from the inside by their yet-to-be-named baby girl. She was being extra active today. She first felt her kick when she was about 5 months pregnant. Maya was at the gallery doing some work with a couple of the repeat artists who always sold their art works at the gallery when suddenly she felt a tiny thump right in the middle of her stomach. At first, she didn't really catch on to it being the baby. No more than a few seconds passed by when she felt another tiny thump on the right side of her belly, and then another, then another. She called Lucas immediately. He was practically in tears knowing that he missed it. Maya remembers him rushing home that same day and hovering over her all night, not wanting to miss the next time the baby kicked. By the time the two of them went to sleep, no more kicking had happened. But Maya was more than eager to wake Lucas up in the middle of the night to alert him to their baby's actions. That moment, feeling his baby kick inside of the girl he loved, that was everything to him.

Finally Lucas got the "good to go" text from Riley. He had a little surprise up his sleeve for Maya today. He had suggested breakfast as a way to keep Maya out of the house longer after their class as all their friends and family, led by Riley of course, set up a surprise baby shower. Maya insisted she didn't need everyone fussing over baby showers and bridal showers. She didn't want to bother anybody, but both Lucas and Riley agreed that she deserved it. Plus it would be nice to have everybody bring things for the baby.

"Why don't we go back to the apartment? You probably want to lie down," he suggested. He had suggested taking the long way home after breakfast, using the excuse that it was "a nice day." Maya nodded. She was tired and Lucas knew that. He felt a bit guilty for keeping her out like this. Her belly was already so big now and she was so little, sometimes he didn't know how she carried all that weight. Often when he brought it up, she reminded him that she was only going to get bigger for the next two months. Lucas's mind was blown every time he thought about it. The strength that little blonde had always amazed him.

Just 10 minutes later, the couple walked up to the door of their apartment. Lucas tried his best to keep the suspicious grin off his face. But Maya opened the door and suddenly 30 people jumped up and yelled "surprise" as the two blondes made their way into the apartment. Lucas wasn't too sure scaring Maya like that was smart and even tried to talk Riley out of having people do it. He'll be the first to admit that he's pretty protective of Maya, even a little bit overprotective sometimes. But all of that protectiveness went into overdrive during her pregnancy. Maya thought it was cute, if not a tad bit annoying sometimes.

"Surprise babe," Lucas grinned against her ear. She turned to face him, surprised he knew about all of this. "You deserve a baby shower. And so does she," he said, pointing at Maya's pregnant belly. She laughed, kissing him.

Hours later, most of the guests had left. All the presents had been unwrapped and now piles of gifts sat everywhere. A mountain of little baby clothes and tiny hats and socks was laid out onto the floor in the living room; right next to the pile of diapers, which made both Maya and Lucas very happy, but also nervous at how many diapers babies seem to go through. By the kitchen counter sat the insanely nice stroller that was a gift from Topanga and Cory. Maya's favorite gift was the collection of books Shawn got for the baby, including a Curious George collective works book. It was huge but it had almost all of the Curious George stories in it. Maya had made it known before that she loved to read Curious George as a kid. Shawn thought it would be nice if she could pass on that tradition to her own daughter.

Now just Riley, Farkle, Zay, and Zay's girlfriend Gabby sat in the blonde couple's apartment. Maya sat on top of Lucas's lap, playing with a tiny sweater that Uncle Zay got for the baby. Lucas didn't mind her sitting on him. Even 7 months pregnant, she was incredibly light. Go figure.

"Caitlyn?" Riley suggested. After being asked by one of Lucas's co-workers at the baby shower if they had decided on a name, everyone felt like throwing in their two cents name wise. Riley had made the most suggestions, name after name as if she was reading from an actual book of baby names. Maya shook her head, never really liking the name.

"I'm going to take a guess and say that Maya has already banned all Southern names?" Zay guessed, knowing Maya all too well.

"Damn right!" Maya laughed. Riley suddenly gasped from her spot.

"Maya don't cuss the baby can hear you!" Riley exclaimed. Honestly, Maya wasn't worried. It's not like the baby was going to learn the cuss word from inside her womb. She just laughed Riley off, watching as Farkle put his arm around her and kissed her head.

"What about Charlotte?" Zay asked. Maya kind of liked it. She glanced at Lucas who didn't seem impressed.

"Then her nickname will be Charlie. That's a little weird don't you think?" he worried. Riley got the most laugh out of that one. So Charlotte was out.

More names got thrown around but it was the same pattern it had been for weeks. If Maya liked it, Lucas didn't; if Lucas liked it, Maya didn't. Maya was actually starting to worry they would never pick a name. She had this irrational fear that her baby would be nameless, going for weeks, even months, after being born with no name, until her and Lucas finally just decided on one, but would actually hate the name. Lucas blamed the fear on her pregnancy, saying her emotions were out of whack. A comfortable silence fell over the group and Lucas thought it would be the perfect time to give Maya his gift to her.

"You didn't have to get me anything. This shower is technically for you too ya know?" Maya insisted as he led her and their friends down the hallway.

They stopped right at the door of the nursery. Since the day they found out they were having a little girl, Lucas had enlisted the help from Zay and Farkle to help him build the perfect nursery. Maya hadn't been allowed inside. He wanted it to be a surprise for her.

"It's ready?" Maya asked, stricken with awe. She had stood outside that door countless times, wanting nothing more than to walk inside and see what Lucas was doing. Lucas had given her the job of picking out a couple paintings for the walls and painting the drawers of the dresser. But besides those little details, she had no idea what was going on behind that nursery door. Lucas nodded, answering her question. Before keeping her waiting too long, he opened the door and let her walk inside.

The walls were the most perfect shade of a soft pink with the paintings Maya had picked out, including a couple more pictures of family and friends Lucas had picked out. A white rocking chair sat on the side of the room by the big bookshelf that now held dozens of books. Resting over the edge of the rocking chair was a white quilted blanket that Maya's fingers brushed over as she wandered the room. A couple toys were set up on the floor next to a little toy chest. On the dresser, with the hand painted drawers Maya worked so hard on, was a small music box with a little porcelain ballerina in it. The last thing her eyes hovered on was the crib. The dark polished wood stood out in the room, but in the best possible way. A pink crochet baby blanket, which Maya knew was made for them by Lucas's mom, rested inside. Next to the blanket sat the pink elephant they bought their daughter the day they found out she was a she.

"I know it's a lot of pink but I mean-" Lucas started, but Maya sniffled back a sob, releasing one single tear.

"No. No it's perfect."

It was so perfect that later that night while Lucas slept, Maya got out of bed and wandered down the hall to the nursery. For a while she just sat in the rocking chair, talking to the baby girl in her stomach. She talked to the baby often. She didn't really even talk about anything important, she just told the baby about life and the world and her auntie Riley. She talked about Lucas a lot.

"Your daddy built you all of this," she said now, gently stroking her fingers against her belly. "He's a really good guy. You'll like him. I promise." Suddenly Lucas's figure appeared in the doorway of the room.

"Shortstack what are you doing?" Confused, he was gestured into the room by Maya. He sat in the rocking chair, Maya taking her place on his lap. "You really think the baby will like me?" He mocked, announcing he heard her "conversation" with the baby. Maya nodded, letting her tired eyes flutter shut as her head laid against Lucas's shoulder.

"She'll love you. She'll have to get used to the fact that her dad is a total Huckleberry but after she gets past that… she'll love you," she teased.

After a short while Lucas could feel his fiancé fall asleep, as her breathing evened out low and her body remained still. He didn't want to wake her, knowing his girls needed their rest. So he shifted lightly, trying to get comfortable and softly kissed the top of her hair. He let his eyes shut, waiting to fall sleep as his breathing started to match Maya's.

….

Today was the day. Maya stood with her 8-month pregnant belly in her white dress in front of the mirror. Her golden hair framed her smiling face as she listened to the girls in the background chatter amongst themselves. Her hands reached up to adjust the small white flower-crown, hand made by Riley nonetheless, on top of her head. Katy came up behind Maya and placed her chin on her daughter's shoulder. She had never seen her look as beautiful and as happy as she did now in this moment.

"You look so perfect baby girl," Katy cried, tears already filling her eyes. Maya's only thought was how she hoped Lucas thought the same. In just minutes, Maya would be walking down the aisle towards that man. If she had it her way, she would be running. Nothing would stop her from getting to Lucas; her happy ending.

The two women's fingers laced together and interlocked, taking in this moment. There were 3 generations of Hart women, two who had gotten the happy endings they never thought they would get, and one still not born but Maya hoped that little girl could have all the happy endings in the world. A sharp gasp suddenly interrupted the moment for Maya and Katy. Riley could be seen in the background, bawling at Maya's appearance.

"You are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen Peaches," she could barely get out without breaking down in a happy sob. The bride said nothing, just wrapped the tiny brunette up in her arms and hugged her. Hugging proved hard for Maya recently, with her belly so big. She felt like it doubled in size practically overnight. But Riley had worked so hard on this wedding so Maya could focus on relaxing and taking care of herself and the baby. She deserved at the very least a Peaches and Honey hug. "Now come on," Riley said, tearing away reluctantly from the hug. "You have a very cute cowboy waiting for you!"

And so she did. At the end of the aisle, Lucas stood nervously, adjusting his bowtie over and over. Zay stood next to him, watching with a smirk as his best friend readjusted his already perfect bowtie for the 80th time. Lucas was always put-together and collected. Something about that tiny blonde had a way of making him tongue-tied. Zay always found that funny.

"Man calm down. All you have to do is say 'I do'," Zay laughed.

"What if I forget what I was going to say in my vows? Or I freeze up? Or what if I-" Lucas mumbled. Zay steadied him out by placing his hands firmly on his shoulders. Zay assured him all he had to do was look at Maya and just say out loud how he felt about her. All the times in the past when Lucas would talk to Zay about Maya, all he had to do was speak like that.

After only one last time of fixing his bowtie anxiously, the music started and Riley came waltzing down the aisle with Farkle, who made his way to stand by Lucas and Zay. When Lucas looked up to see that angelic blonde, he felt like all the breath was taken out of his body. He thought about the first time he had seen her, years ago on the subway. He thought about how he probably fell in love with her right then and didn't even notice it yet. Their eyes never left each as she came closer to him down the aisle, her arm locked inside of Shawn's. Lucas felt like the luckiest guy in the entire world. In just one month, he would become the father to a beautiful baby girl who he hoped would look just her mom. And in just a couple minutes, he would become the husband to most amazing girl in the world.

Suddenly, Maya stood in front of him, her hand outstretched to him. He took it in his own and clutched it tight, never wanting to let go.

As he predicted, he did completely forget everything he was going to say. Maya found it cute and laughed when he made that known at the beginning of his vows. He looked back to Zay. His best friend just nodded, reiterating his same advice from before. So Lucas did just what he was told; he looked at Maya and just said how he felt. Not one person watching could keep the tears out of their eyes. Especially a very pregnant Maya. She almost couldn't speak she was crying so much. Lucas went on about how strong Maya was and how he always wanted to be strong for her. He wanted her to be proud of him. He wanted her to feel safe with him. It wasn't new for Lucas to make it point to Maya that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her and that he would always protect her. Maya heard it all the time, but now, hearing how he would keep both of them safe, Maya and their baby, it made her heart so full she didn't even have words.

"You're my person. You always have been," Maya started when it was time for her own vows to Lucas. She couldn't imagine being with anyone else. She couldn't imagine her baby having anyone else's green eyes. It was as simple as that; Maya only ever wanted Lucas.

Maneuvering around Maya's large stomach, Lucas kissed his new wife. Zay stood behind Lucas, thinking how this moment was such a long time coming. Riley, standing behind Maya, couldn't help but think the same.

For the next few hours, the couple had only good thoughts. They didn't worry about what they still had to get before the baby came. They weren't stressing about how they still hadn't decided on a name. Neither were riddled with anxiety over whether or not they would be a good parent. They just focused on how much they loved each other. Nothing else seemed to matter as they danced and ate and celebrated with their closest friends and family. Lucas lost count of how many times Maya cried during the night. He, being himself, was concerned each time he saw tears coming out of her eyes, but she assured him over and over these were possibly the happiest tears she has ever cried.

After a few hours, Maya's head was resting in the crook of Lucas's neck as she sat beside him. Lucas tilted his head, asking his wife if she was ready to leave. It had been a long day and Maya was extra tired lately. Her doctor said it was completely normal at this stage in her pregnancy. Not all the guests had left yet, but understood that Maya needed to get home. Riley being Riley offered to stay and see all the guests out and oversee the pick-up from all the rental companies. Once the newlyweds were home in their apartment, Maya went off to change out of her wedding dress and soak in a hot bath. She set out her comfiest pajamas to change into after, which was actually just one of her husband's shirts and a pair of pajama shorts. She was constantly overheating at night during the last month of her pregnancy. Lucas had gotten used to sleeping with the AC blasting and 5 heavy blankets curled around his shivering form while Maya was still sweating.

Lucas, however, snuck up to the roof to finish setting up a little surprise. Due to Maya being 8-months pregnant, a real honeymoon wasn't an option. Lucas suggested a smaller trip, one they could take by car, even just for the weekend. But Maya insisted they save whatever money they would use for the honeymoon and use it for the baby. One day they would get that honeymoon. That's what Lucas promised her. In her head, she thought about how sweet he was to promise her something like that. In her heart, she knew she just needed to be with him. She didn't need an actual honeymoon. The small blonde stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom to change. She stepped out into the living room expecting to see Lucas in the kitchen digging into the leftover wedding cake they had brought home.

"Lucas?" she called all through the apartment. Nothing. Lucas was nowhere in sight. Nervous, she went to grab her cell phone off the nightstand to call him. That's when she spotted the note placed on her pillow. She hadn't even noticed it before.

'Maya when you're ready please come up and meet me on the roof. I have a surprise for you. Love Ranger Rick.'

A small smirk appeared on her face after reading the short message from her husband. She slipped on a thick sweater and a pair of shoes before doing exactly what the note told her too. She rode the elevator up to the top floor and then wandered up the stairs until she arrived at the rooftop door. Behind the door, that blonde boy she loved was sitting amongst a pool of blankets and pillows. All of which were facing a large screen with a projector set up in front of it. Lucas looked up when he heard the heavy door opening.

"Surprise," he said, walking over to his wife.

"What is all of this?" she asked, overwhelmed with emotion.

"I know we can't have a honeymoon right now. But I figured we could still do something romantic here at home. Farkle helped me set up the projector earlier today while you were getting ready at Riley's. I just wanted us to be able to have something to remember coming home to after our wedding." She didn't have words listening to Lucas speak. All she could do was kiss him. The kiss let him know that she appreciated every gesture, big or small, that he made for her. They loved each other and they couldn't think of a better way of celebrate that love than watching movies on their roof, tangled in blankets and tangled in each other. The night sky hung over them. Maybe it was just a trick of the eye, but both Maya and Lucas could swear there were more stars in the sky than on any other night in New York City.

 **A/N: I originally wasn't planning on uploading this chapter today because I justs updated "Sometime Love Is Hard" as well and I wanted to get out of the habit of updating those at the same time, but I just don't know if I'm going to have time to update within the next couple of days. But anyway I hope you liked this chapter. Like I said in the previous authors note, this is a pretty fluff filled story. Which is a nice change from my usual drama/angst filled stuff.**

 **Road trip story is going well. Hopefully I finish it soon so you guys can start reading it!**


	4. Ups and Downs of Birth

**A/N: Ok next chapter!**

 **I don't own GMW, just the plot of this story.**

Chapter 4: "Ups and Downs of Birth"

….

 _2:21AM_

Maya was sleeping soundly in the bed. At this point she was already three days past her due date. Her doctor assured her that it was normal to be off from your due date; the baby would come out when she was fully grown and ready. Normally, Lucas would just go along with what the doctor was saying, but he was so devastated by seeing Maya so uncomfortable all the time that he secretly just wished the baby would come out.

The small blonde was jolted awake by a sudden pain in her stomach. She winced in agony as the pain kept on. She tried rolling every which way into different positions to help ease the tension in her belly, but nothing worked. After less than a minute, the pain stopped. Her breathing steadied as she looked over to her husband, who was still sound asleep. Maya rolled over, trying to find a comfortable position with her belly in the way and fluttered her eyes closed. Only 9 minutes had passed when the same pain returned. A gasp of pain escaped from Maya's mouth. Her tiny hands clenched into white knuckled fists. She just hoped the pain would end soon. Like the time before, the ordeal only lasted less than a minute. Once Maya got her head on straight again, she understood what was happening. She reached over and shook Lucas until his head lifted to look at her, wondering if she was ok.

"Babe I think this is it," she said, panting for breath. She was trying to stay calm but with so many thoughts racing through her head, it was hard to focus on staying calm. It didn't take Lucas long to process the information from his wife; even with him being half asleep he lifted his body ready to get out of bed. He quickly asked Maya if she was sure. "Yes! This feels different than the other times! This is it!" Maya was almost yelling, but Lucas stroked her arm a few times, effectively calming her down some before getting out of bed and running to the closet to get dressed. A couple times within the past couple weeks, Maya and Lucas had made midnight trips to the hospital only to find out Maya was having Braxton Hicks contractions instead. But now Maya felt something different. The doctor told her she would know when her body was telling her it was the real deal, and that moment was now.

Maya eased herself up to sit on the edge of the bed. She could hear Lucas rummaging in the closet. Maya found herself strangely calm about the whole thing all of a sudden. Her little hand landed on her belly, feeling the baby move around inside. All her emotions seemed to go away and she suddenly felt numb. She didn't even flinch when Lucas emerged from the closet, dressed and ready to go. He held Maya's hospital bag that had been pack for weeks now in one hand and a sweater and pair of shoes for Maya in the other.

Lucas helped Maya slip on her shoes and called the Uber on his phone, knowing there probably wouldn't be too many cabs in their quiet neighborhood at this hour. He was too high-strung at the moment to notice Maya's blank expression at a time when she should've had a face as anxious as Lucas's.

The cab ride was quiet. The only noise was Maya's pained gasps during the 2 contractions she had on the way to the hospital.

"Breathe Maya just breathe ok," Lucas told her over and over. He tried to remember all the breathing techniques he was taught during their birthing classes and help Maya to do them. He didn't know if they would really help with the pain, but he could only hope.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Maya's water had broken in the hospital waiting room. The good news was that dramatic entrance earned Maya a wheelchair right away. She was wheeled into an available room and set up in the bed. Maya hadn't said much the whole ride over. She actually hadn't really said anything since she woke Lucas up. Her husband barely realized this when the nurse left the hospital room, telling Maya the doctor would be in in just a minute to check her progress. The pregnant blonde gave a small nod before her eye sight went to and stayed on the beige blanket that laid over her bed. Lucas dragged a chair to the side of Maya's bed and sat down, eyeing his wife.

"Maya what's wrong?" he asked concerned. It was expected that Maya would be nervous, but even a nervous Maya wasn't like this. This was something else and Lucas knew it.

"Why would you think something's wrong?" Her eyes never left the blanket. Lucas's hand inched over to cover Maya's as it laid on top of her belly. For the first time since they arrived at the hospital, she looked at him. He couldn't help but notice her eyes were worried and sad.

"I know you. Maya if something's wrong you have to tell me! Just tell me what I can do." Lucas wanted nothing more than to make his wife comfortable. Well, as comfortable as she could be. He just needed her to talk to him. As she was about to respond, Maya was hit with another contraction. Her hand suddenly clutched onto his, putting more pressure on it than Lucas knew she was capable of. Lucas counted her breathing out loud, helping in the only way he knew how. In the cab ride over, he figured out the contractions lasted about 45 seconds, so he timed it for her now. Right at 45 seconds, the pain ceased and Maya let out relieved breaths. Her husband's hand went up to stroke her hair. This always seemed to calm her down, though Lucas never understood why.

"I can't do this Lucas. I'm not strong enough to do this," she cried. Tears ran out of her blue eyes like an ocean. It broke Lucas's heart. She was scared, he could see that. Fear ran through his body, too. All the thoughts that ran through his head making him scared to be a dad to an actual human being were weighing heavily on him from the moment Maya told him she was pregnant. Even with all of that going on inside him, he knew it was nothing compared to what Maya was going through right now. She had the same fears and nerves he did when it came to being a parent. Right now hers fears were doubled by being the one who had to give birth. She was terrified.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Lucas asked, trying to keep his wife calm. Sniffling, Maya nodded. "You are probably the strongest person I've ever met." A small grin appeared on Maya's face, still heaving with soft, tiny sobs. "And I know you can do this. This baby is coming out and when she does, you're going to be a mommy."

"I'm scared." Maya had only seen someone give birth during movies. But she knew it had to be painful. She kept having this fear re-enter her head that she wouldn't be able to do it and she would fail the baby. Lucas would be disappointed in her. But his hand was in hers. She felt a comfort shoot through her fingers and into her veins.

"But I'm going to be right here," Lucas promised. Right as his words left his mouth, the door burst open and Riley ran in. Still clad in her flannel pajamas, her hair disheveled into a ponytail on the top of her head, Riley made her way to Maya's other side. "And Riley's going to be right here," Lucas added after seeing how Maya's eyes lit up with the sight of her best friend.

Lucas knew Riley wouldn't want to miss the birth of the baby. He also knew Maya wouldn't want to have this moment without Riley. In between contractions in the cab ride to the hospital, Lucas texted Riley that it was time. Since about a week before Maya's due date, the brunette had begun to leave her phone on loud at night, just to be ready when the baby was on its way. A very exhausted looking Farkle came trudging into the room after her, settling on standing right at the end of the bed.

"Riley please tell Maya that everything is going to be fine." Lucas asked. Riley sat down on the side of the bed, taking Maya's free hand in hers.

"Peaches everything is going to ok! You're body knows what to do alright?" Lucas had never seen such a calm and collected Riley before. Especially during Maya's whole pregnancy, Riley was bouncing off the walls with nervousness and excitement. She had made it to the hospital before when it turned out to only be Braxton Hicks contractions and every time she was wired. This was a different Riley. Lucas could only guess that she saw the distress in Maya's eyes; she couldn't be anxious or overly hyped now. For Maya, she would calm down and try to keep her calm back. He felt pressure on his hand as Maya squeezed.

The doctor soon came in and checked Maya out. Her tiny hands never let go of either her husband's or best friend's as the doctor did the examination. Unfortunately, Maya was only 3 centimeters dilated out of the 10 centimeters she needed to be in order to be ready to push. With a sigh, Maya slumped back into her bed. The doctor left the room, telling all of them to prepare for the wait.

….

 _12:57PM_

The sun was already high in the sky by the time Maya was just a little more than half way dilated. Ten hours since arriving at the hospital and she was barely 6 centimeters. Lucas remained in his seat next to Maya's bed. He hadn't moved much except in the event Maya needed something. Across the room, Riley was fast asleep in a chair, her head on a sleeping Farkle's shoulder. Riley almost refused to go to sleep. She insisted that she stay awake with Maya. But finally, just a couple hours ago, Farkle convinced her to close her eyes. But not before she made the nervous Texan promise that if anything were to change with Maya, even a tiny thing, that he wake her up. Maya tried to get Lucas to go to sleep. How was he supposed to do that? With Maya in the bed going through intense contraction pains every 8 minutes. So he stayed awake. He tried to comfort her as much as he could, but honestly he felt like he was doing nothing.

Watching her be in as much pain as she was in was the worst feeling in the world for Lucas. He felt useless, not being able to do a damn thing while she winced in pain and cried. She only barely was at a far enough point in her labor to have the epidural shot to ease some of the pain. About an hour ago, the nurse came in and said she was dilated enough to have the shot.

Now, her eyes were closed. She had drifted off just a few minutes prior. All through the night, she tried to sleep. But the pain was always too intense and there was no comfortable position for her. He knew the sleep probably wouldn't last long, once the next contraction came through, but he could hope.

A loose strand of blonde hair twirled through Lucas's fingers as he watched his wife sleep. He loved her so much. Part of his wedding vows was about how he would always protect her. Nothing bad would ever happen to her, she would never feel pain or suffering as long as he was around. He couldn't help but feel like he let her down a little bit.

His thoughts were ripped apart by the door flying open. Instinctively, Lucas made a hushed tone towards the doorway. He looked over to see Zay panting as if he had run all the way to the hospital and up to Maya's room.

"I made it as soon as I could! I had to get a flight back from D.C.!" he panted. Lucas had left Zay a message the following night as well when they arrived at the hospital. Zay was in D.C. attending a meeting for work and Lucas didn't think he would make it back on time, understandably.

But he also didn't think it would take so long for Maya to get to ten centimeters and deliver the baby. Lucas was about to speak when a little pressure made its way into his hand. His head turned back to see Maya, awake, and clearly in pain. She yelled about a contraction, Zay rushing to her other side to hold her free hand. Lucas counted through the seconds while Zay helped Maya with her breathing exercises. There had been a couple birthing classes that Lucas wasn't able to make due to work commitments. As willing as he was to cancel on work, Maya wouldn't hear of it. To help, Zay offered to go with Maya to her classes so she wouldn't have to go alone or miss the class all together. At the end of the day he didn't mind. Once the contraction passed, Maya tried to be chipper, greeting Zay.

"Can you believe it took me ten hours to get to 6 centimeters?" she chuckled, gritting through pain. She asked only for ice chips when Lucas asked if she needed anything. Zay offered to go with him, saying he wanted to get some food for the wait. It looked like they might be there for a while longer and he, like everyone else, didn't seem too keen on leaving Maya, even if there were three other people in the room to take care of her.

Once in the hallway, Zay turned a serious glance onto Lucas.

"How is she really? I know she puts on brave face but it's already been 10 hours," he wondered. Lucas could only drag his hand across his face, frustrated. Frustrated that he couldn't do more to help her; frustrated that he didn't even really have words to say to her to comfort her; frustrated that she had to shoulder almost all the pain and discomfort from the pregnancy.

"She's in a lot of pain. And she's terrified to give birth and be a mom. To be honest, I'm losing my mind in there! All I want to do is help her and I can't. I feel useless and it's killing me. She's hurting worse than I could ever imagine and she feels like she has to be strong for me. I hate that she feels that way! And it's been 10 hours and this baby still isn't here! I want this baby to come out so Maya doesn't have to be in pain anymore. But then I feel selfish because I don't want the baby to come out because I know once it does… I'm going to be a father and that scares the crap out of me." Zay stared in disbelief at his best friend's long-drawn confession. He didn't expect the outpour if emotions.

His hand landed down on Lucas's shoulder as Lucas's head sunk into his hands.

"Lucas there is nothing that you can do to take all of that pain away! And Maya knows that. But you're doing everything you humanly can to help her," Zay preached. That was his best friend. He was being his typical self and not wanting anyone that he cared about to be hurting. It was like an unspoken job Lucas set on his own shoulders to protect everyone around him. Zay could see how much it killed him that he couldn't help Maya in this moment.

After Zay gave him more words of encouragement, Lucas seemed grateful. He was grateful! But nothing seemed to really make him feel better about not being able to help Maya.

….

 _8:29PM_

Lucas had finally been convinced to sleep around sunset. Riley sat with Maya on her bed crisscrossed, rubbing Maya's swollen belly. Everyone in the room, except the blonde's own sleeping husband, was talking to her about every subject to keep her distracted. Part of her just wanted them to shut up. But she had to admit, their constant conversation was keeping her distracted from the pain.

She looked over to see Lucas shift in his seat before opening his eyes completely. He wasted no time before walking over to her. She mustered up a small smile, right before another contraction hit her. All four of her friends gathered around her close. None of them apparently thought about maybe backing off to give her some room to breathe. The contractions were getting worse for Maya as time went on. She felt like her face had a permanent expression of pain on it.

After the contraction passed, the door opened and her doctor walked in.

"Dr. Green please tell me I'm ready to push!" Maya exclaimed when the doctor walked in. It had been nearly 18 hours since she was admitted to the hospital. This whole thing was some sort of never-ending nightmare. She felt bad thinking of it like that, but she couldn't help it. Nothing seemed to end her pain. Even the epidural shot didn't do as much as she thought it would. At times, it felt like the baby would rip through her stomach at any second.

The doctor positioned herself to examine Maya's progress. The blonde squeezed nervously on her husband's hand. Only moments later did the doctor pop her head up. "You're ready to push Maya." Although it was exactly what she was hoping for, Maya looked at the doctor in disbelief. The room suddenly became hectic. Different nurses came in to wheel Maya to a delivery room, her friends all scattered around trying to get out of the nurses' way, Lucas shot up from his seat. His mumbled words to Maya were lost once they got to her ears. She was currently trying to process that she was about to have a baby. Just a matter of minutes separated her from being a mom.

The delivery room just had the doctor and two nurses to assist her. And of course Maya and her nervous husband. He hadn't stopped talking to her since she was told she was ready to deliver. Maya had barely heard a word though.

"Lucas!" she yelled, wanting him to stop talking. Her voice turned to whisper with her next words. "It's hurts really bad."

Lucas did nothing but kiss Maya on the forehead. He didn't know what to say honestly. He knew nothing would truly help, but he believed she could do this.

Maya began pushing minutes later. Her husband stood beside her, her hand in his. Little strands and chunks of blonde hair stuck to her sweat covered forehead. Tiny pants made their way out of her mouth as she tried to breathe through pain. Lucas felt like every bone in his hand would break. He said nothing, not wanting to upset her. Something about the way she was gripping his hand like her whole life depended on it made him not say anything. If crushing the life out of his hand made her feel better, even a tiny bit better, than she could crush it all she wanted to. He would take that pain for her.

For such a tiny girl, Maya sure could scream. Those dramatic birth scenes in movies with the mother yelling at everyone and screaming like she was being ripped apart; Lucas always thought those were so unrealistic. But Maya was proving him wrong. Pushing was proving much harder than they thought it would be. There was a small complication with the baby and Lucas had to work overtime keeping her calm. Maya had been known to overreact during her pregnancy, but Dr. Green said she had to keep calm now or the baby's heartrate would rise and that could put even more risk in correcting the complication.

"Just keep looking at me alright!" Lucas kept saying. Maya couldn't deny she was nervous, terrified out of her mind to be more specific. But nothing calmed her like looking into Lucas's green eyes. He kept repeating the words to her. The urge to push ran through her whole body, but pushing was bad until the complication was corrected. It felt like hours until Dr. Green gave her the green light to push. One tough push after another, Maya gave it everything she had.

"One more big push Maya!"

Maya felt tired, drained, and worn-out. She didn't know if she could build up enough strength for another push. She was so uncomfortable, like every bone in her body was cracking or breaking up into dust inside of her. Her breaths had turned into quick pants with sobs running in between them. She was hot and clammy, but shivers still wracked through her. Lucas's hand was still in hers and she knew she was clutching it too tightly. But it's like when you have to bite down on something to prevent pain; she felt a little pain be relieved when she squeezed her husband's hand. She turned her head to face him.

"Lucas I can't do it. I can't!" Lucas wouldn't have any of it. Ignoring the sweat that covered her head, he let his hand run through her tangled blonde waves.

"Look at me. Just one more push ok? I know you can do this," he promised. His heart broke a little when Maya shook her head a little, unsure of herself. He could tell how exhausted she was. But this was it. They were at the end. Nine months to get to this one moment. "Yes you can! You may be a shortstack but you're strong enough to do this." It was enough to get a chuckle out of a distressed Maya.

One kiss on the cheek later, Maya took a deep breath and pushed until she was going to pass out if she didn't take a breath. She didn't know what happened, but she felt some kind of relief when she stopped pushing. She looked to Lucas to ask what was happened. But he looked captivated with something else.

Suddenly, she heard a tiny little screeching cry. The baby was here.

 **A/N: And a baby makes 3…. Only one more chapter you guys! Told you it was a short story lol**

 **Not much to say in the author's note. Just that the road trip story is going well! I'm having serious trouble writing some parts but others are flowing really well but it's definitely getting written! And I had a dream last night that gave me a little inspiration for another story…but I won't focus too much on that until after I finish writing road trip story;)**

 **Thanks again beautiful readers!**


	5. Our Little Family

**A/N: Ok this is it! The last chapter! Enjoy:)**

 **I don't own GMW, just the plot of this story.**

Chapter 5: "Our Little Family"

….

30 minutes after Maya pushed out their baby girl, Lucas and her sat on her bed, the baby in their arms. Silence filled the room, but it was welcomed. Maya leaned into Lucas, his arm around her shoulders. She rested the baby nicely in her arms. Lucas twirled a little tuft of blonde hair from his daughter's head around and around in his fingers.

"I told you she would have your eyes," he smirked. The baby had the exact same eyes as Maya and Lucas couldn't get enough of them. They had that same sparkle in the corner that Maya's did; the same flecks of gold when the light hit them just right.

"Ok but look at how calm she is. She definitely gets that from you."

"Well I hope she gets everything else from you. I hope she's exactly like you." Lucas went on to thank Maya. From the bottom of his heart, he thanked his wife. He thanked her for loving him, for giving him the perfect little girl they were holding. Never in his life was he more proud of someone. She did it. Even though he never doubted that she could, he was so proud of her.

The fear was still there. For both of them. They were still fearing being parents. Seeing their little girl, actually holding her in their arms made them feel so much better. Topanga and Cory had stopped by the hospital the day before to give their support to the two expecting parents. Topanga was always good at giving advice, especially to Maya who always saw a little of herself in the strong woman. Upon being told by Maya that she was terrified, Topanga told her the truth. 'No one is ever ready to be a parent Maya. No one knows exactly what they're doing right off the bat. You learn a little more every single day.' She would never know how much those words meant to both Maya and Lucas. But looking down into her daughter's eyes, Maya knew there was nothing she wouldn't do to for this little girl. She would try her best, better than her best, to be amazing for her. A silent promise went from her lips to the baby in her arms to be the best mom she possibly could.

Maya didn't know that Lucas sat next to her making the same promise to their baby. He looked at the blue-eyed baby his wife was holding and smiled. Everything he did from this point in his life on would be to make that baby happy and proud. These were his girls. These two blonde headed, blue-eyed girls were his. He pressed a kiss to the side of Maya's head, then to the head of his daughter.

Before long, there was a soft knock at the door. Both parents looked up to see Riley pop her head in.

"Can we please come in now?" Riley asked. She was practically bouncing off the walls. She was trying really hard to keep her voice low with the baby in the room, but she was losing her mind out in the hallways. Farkle had to keep her from running into the room right after Lucas came out to give them the good news that the baby was out and healthy. 'Give them time with the new baby' he had to tell her over and over. To keep her distracted, Zay took her down to the hospital gift shop to get presents for the new parents.

That's how Riley ended up lugging in almost a dozen congratulations pink balloons and multiple stuffed animals for the new baby. Riley's face was pure sunshine when she walked into the room and spotted the baby moving around calmly in Maya's arms. Everyone filed into the room, receiving a warning from Lucas to keep their voices down. Although, the baby wasn't asleep, they didn't want her getting all riled up and crying. Katy and Shawn had made it to the hospital a couple hours prior and were more than excited to meet their new granddaughter, even though Katy was adamant about being too pretty and young-looking to be called "grandma." Shawn was in tears the second he stepped into the room. Before Katy and Maya, he wasn't sure he would ever even have kids, but now he had an amazing daughter, a very caring son-in-law, and a beautiful granddaughter. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

"Oh my god Maya! She's beautiful! She looks just like you," Riley cooed. The new parents were all smiles. Zay spoke up with what he knew had been a sensitive topic for the two of them for months now, asking about the baby's name. Both Maya and Lucas gave each other a look; little did everyone in the room know they had already picked a name for the baby.

"Everyone…meet Caroline June Friar," Lucas announced. Zay's eyes widened as he heard the name.

"A little Southern for you isn't it Maya?" Admittedly, yes the name was a little Southern. Maya knew it was actually pretty damn Southern. But it was just a couple weeks ago when they picked it and she couldn't help but feel a little flutter in her stomach, telling her that it was perfect. Everyone laughed at the Southern name, agreed upon by the girl who had banned all Southern names from even being suggested. Riley spoke up, asking how they picked Caroline.

 _The couple sat on the couch, late one night. Maya couldn't sleep due to discomfort so Lucas offered to stay up and watch TV with her until she fell asleep. Maya was digging into a carton of double brownie fudge ice-cream while the television played some old movie. When a character in the movie introduced herself as Caroline, Maya didn't even look up from her carton, but she did make a casual remark._

 _"_ _I like that name," she said._

 _"_ _Me too." Lucas hadn't even noticed he said it. But Maya looked up as soon as the short sentence left his mouth._

 _"_ _You like the name Caroline?" She didn't believe it. Until now, their curse of only liking names the other hated seemed like it would never end. She was thinking one of them would have to settle on a name they actually hated just so the baby could have a name. Lucas looked up with an equally disbelieving look._

 _"_ _Yeah I do. Does that mean…?" Maya didn't even speak at first. A beyond happy smile made its way onto her face, growing from ear to ear._

 _"_ _That's our baby's name!" The tone of her voice was impacted by the smile that wouldn't leave her face. She giggled through her words, truly ecstatic to the bone. Lucas happily agreed. He would never tell Maya, but he was secretly terrified they wouldn't be able to pick a name either._

"Yeah well her daddy's from Texas, so," Maya smiled, looking up lovingly at her Southern husband.

"And June?" Katy asked. June was even more Southern than Caroline was. Even Lucas was surprised that Maya agreed to have that be the middle name.

Zay smirked knowingly finally realizing where he heard that name before, as Lucas explained. June was the name of Lucas's grandmother. She passed away when Lucas was in 9th grade but she had been a big part of his life before he moved. She was the one who convinced Lucas that everything would alright when he had to move to New York. She told him everything would work out for the best. He started to believe she might have been right after he met Riley and the whole gang. But he really knew she was right when he started to fall in love with Maya. It was because of Maya he had this life and this beautiful baby. Maya was his everything. And it was his grandma June that somehow knew he would gain all of this. Naming the baby after her somehow acted like tribute to her.

"I'm sure she would love to meet her god-mother," Maya replied after being asked by Riley if she could hold Caroline. After nearly fainting with excitement, Riley sat on the edge of the bed holding her newly appointed god-daughter.

The group stayed and fawned over little Caroline for a while longer. But Zay suggested everyone give the parents' time to catch up on some much needed sleep after seeing Maya yawn nearly 3 times in one minute. Even Caroline's eyes were droopy, a tiny yawn escaping her mouth. Lucas laid Caroline down in her small hospital bed next to Maya's bed, then crawled in with his wife. He couldn't even get a word in before she was fast sleep in his arms.

He whispered 'I love you' and another 'thank you' into her messy hair before kissing the top of her head. He was quick to fall sleep himself.

….

Lucas stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He wiped the steam off the bathroom mirror before continuing his morning routine. Teeth brushed, face shaved, and hair combed, he walked into his bedroom. Maya had ironed his shirt the night before and it was currently hanging on the closet door, ready for him to put on under his white vet coat. He could hear the sizzling of bacon coming from the kitchen and the soft sounds of the music Maya was playing. She was singing along to it, like she always did absent mindedly. But Lucas didn't mind. He loved when his wife sang. To him, it was one of the most beautiful sounds. Smiling to himself, he tucked his ironed shirt into his pants and pulled his socks and shoes on.

He walked out of his bedroom to see Maya dancing around in the kitchen in just his button-up shirt that she had worn to bed the night before. Her hands picked blueberries out of the bowl on the counter. Half of them made their way into the pancake batter she was mixing and the other half went straight into her mouth. Lucas snuck up behind her, wrapping his arms around his tiny wife. The next blueberry her hands picked from the bowl went right into his mouth instead.

He turned to see 6 month old Caroline in her highchair, laughing away at nothing. Little baby blueberries were scattered across her highchair table. She had only just started eating baby food a couple months ago, but she couldn't eat solid food yet unless it was pureed first. Maya assured Lucas she would puree them. Lucas watched as Caroline played with the berries, squeezing them in her hands them settling for sucking the juice off her fingers. She seemed content.

"What time are you going to be home tonight?" Maya asked as Lucas sat at the kitchen bar and started eating his pancakes. "My mom is watching Care today while I'm at the gallery. Can you pick her up again or should I?" At first, it was hard to get their new schedule on track after Caroline was born. Maya had a few months off of work for maternity leave but she had returned to the gallery about a month ago. Spending time with Caroline and watching how she grew everyday made the cutbacks they had to make to their work schedule worth it.

"I won't be off until about 8 tonight," he answered, lifting Caroline's sippy cup off the ground after she tossed it off for about the 10th time. "But are we still doing our date night tomorrow night?"

Since Caroline was born, Maya and Lucas had to put a little extra effort into their romance. Maya made a big deal about not wanting to be one of those couple's that have babies and then they start to lose interest in each other. So every week they would try to have at least one night that was their "date night." Caroline would be dropped off at either her grandparents or Riley's or even Zay loved taking her for a few hours. More often than not, they were too tired to actually get dressed up or go out. Normally it would just be them in their bed, watching a movie that was rated higher than the G-rated films they got used to with Caroline.

"Yes but Riles and Farkle are going take her. Zay said he had something important going on tomorrow night," Maya said, pureeing the blueberries for Caroline.

"Oh yeah. He's finally proposing to Gabby! I helped him pick out the ring last week," Lucas explained. Maya jumped in joy. Gabby was a nice girl and her and Zay had been dating for a few years now. Maya ringed Lucas out for not telling her he went with Zay to buy a ring. He claimed he forgot, but both were happy. Now if only Farkle could get his head out of his ass and propose to Riley, they could all just be happy. Farkle had taken a long time to finally even ask Riley out and then more time to ask her to be his girlfriend. Both Lucas and Maya found it crazy how Farkle still hadn't proposed.

Maya set a little yellow bowl of pureed blueberries down in front of Caroline and settled herself in between her husband's legs, wrapping her arms around his neck. Both had been so unbelievably happy the past 6 months since the baby was born. Lucas quickly pressed his lips to Maya's. Realizing that short little kiss wasn't enough, he went back for more. Their lips stayed pressed against each other's, both smiling into the kiss. Maya never thought she could love Lucas more but watching him be a dad made it possible. Their morning kissing was cut short by the sound of their daughter's giddy laughter. She always giggled when they kissed. Maya thought it was cute, it always caused her to laugh in return; which Lucas thought was cute.

Lucas finished his pancakes quickly and kissed both his wife and daughter goodbye. He ran downstairs to hail a cab, hoping to beat the morning traffic to the vet clinic. Maya ate her own pancakes before getting a blueberry juice covered Caroline into a bath. She laid the baby down in the crib so she could take her own quick shower then get dressed. Caroline sat in the baby bouncer while Maya sang to her, getting dressed and curling her hair. Katy often watched her granddaughter during the day while Maya was at work. Maya did get a lot of free range at the gallery to take days off as needed or only come in for a few hours. One of her favorite professors from college owned the gallery but Maya pretty much ran it now. She used to spend all day at the gallery before the baby, but had since hired on others to help her run it now that she couldn't spend as much time there.

Maya thought it was funny how much she really missed Caroline throughout the day. It could even be an exciting day setting up for an exhibit or a show or she could be meeting new artists. But she would still miss her baby like crazy. Some days she even caught herself calling her mom on her lunch to talk to the baby. Caroline couldn't say words yet but Maya could listen to her drool and jabber sounds into the phone all day.

Lucas was the same. He had picture frames all over his desk at work filled with photos of Maya and Caroline. A finger painting Caroline had done a couple weeks ago was pinned up on the wall with pride. It was on the wall right next to the homemade "Happy Birthday Daddy" card that had his baby's small handprint on it in blue paint. All day he would think about going home to his girls. They were hooked on their daughter. They were hooked on this perfect little family they had.

Night time had come and Lucas was dead tired. It was much later than he thought he would be home. He walked into the apartment, expecting Maya and the baby to be asleep in their beds. He was half right.

Laying on the couch in the living room, were his girls. Maya was on her back with her arms wrapped around their tiny blonde human who laid on top of her mom. A blanket laid over both of them, moving up and down with their breathing. Lucas smiled. He took a minute to quietly move into his bedroom and change into a t-shirt and a pair of grey sweats. Carefully, he pulled the blanket from off the girls and picked Caroline up in his arms. As soon as the weight was lifted off of Maya, she rolled over, hugging the pillow under her head. Lucas carried a slightly stirring Caroline to her bedroom. To soothe her back to sleep, he sat in the rocking chair in the side of the room. Caroline was awake but her eyes fluttered, giving away her tiredness.

"Hey Care," Lucas whispered. Caroline was already a huge daddy's girl. Maya found it sweet. She didn't get the chance to be a daddy's girl. Never in her childhood did she have a daddy to latch onto the way her daughter latched onto Lucas. "You know I love you right? I know I say it a lot but I really do love you. And I love your mom." Lucas felt like he could never tell her enough how much she meant to him. He knew she really couldn't even understand, but it was important to him to say it. His dad didn't say it much. Lucas wanted to say it. Her little blonde tufts twisted in Lucas's fingers as she drifted off back to sleep at the sound of her daddy's words. He kissed her head and laid her in her crib, right next to her little pink stuffed elephant that Caroline loved so much, lovingly dubbed Ellie. He turned off the light, but flipped the switch on the nightlight and on the baby monitor before closing the door.

All the other lights in the apartment got turned off then Lucas made his way to the couch. Maya looked so peaceful and content. He didn't want to wake her to get her to the bed. So he crawled in right beside her on the couch, pulling the blanket over both of them. Maya stirred some, then popped her head up slowly.

"Where's Caroline?" Her voice was drowsy, not fully awake or alert. She buried her head in her husband's chest. The embrace of his strong arms around her filled her up with a warmth that only made her more comfortable, even though space on the couch was limited.

"I put her in her crib. Just go back to sleep Shortstack," Lucas whispered, kissing her head. She released a small giggle and settled back into him.

"Goodnight Huckleberry. I love you." Those were the most beautiful words he could ever imagine hearing; 'Huckleberry' and all.

 **A/N: You guys were great through the entire story! I'm really glad you guys seemed to enjoy it. It was nice to write something that wasn't so angsty and heartbreaking lol**

 **"** **Sometimes Love Is Hard" is still going on and I have a Zay-POV of Lucaya oneshot written out that I will get uploaded probably within the next few days and I'm working on a new multi-chapter fic so please follow my stories! I work very hard on them and love reading your reviews and kind words.**

 **Love you beautiful readers so much!**


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